"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them" Maya Angelou

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Clenched Fists

I like that my new counsellor checks in regularly to ask me what I am feeling. That constant bodily awareness, as I recount events from the past helps me immensely. It helps me to reconnect with the body I left behind all those years ago. It is part of diving down and reclaiming me; the integration and journey to wholeness.

I have noticed my clenched fists, the suffocating feeling that I have, that feeling of being so bloated; so full of feelings and memories that need release. The breathlessness that I feel and the pain of the stomach cramps that rip through my body throughout the session.

Today I sobbed so loudly. I usually cry quietly, softly and inwardly; but today I cried aloud. It was a welcome release of so much emotion that needed to come out. Incredible sadness beneath layers of disgust and pain and anger.

I released a little of my burden today and in the safe space we created, I was able to imagine that my father was there and I asked him, ‘Why?” and “How could you” and now I feel drained and uncomfortable and wish that I had sleeping tablets so that I could just disappear and have a deep uninterrupted sleep.

I want to leave this uncomfortable place that I am in and escape with food, or movies, or someone or something. But there is no escape and nowhere to go. I am here and I will feel this until it leaves and I will be ok.

And If I will be ok, you will be ok too. We can do this, you and I. We can face it all and feel it and still be ok. We belong and we are worthy and we deserve healthy relationships in which we are heard and seen and in which we have informed choice. We survived the worst and we fought for our lives and our spirits were not broken and our fires not dampened.

We are safe now and we can use our voices and we can take up room and be proud of ourselves and nurture ourselves the way we should have been as children. We are ok you and I. We know that.

Your resilience is astounding. You are astounding. Your words are with me today. I can do this. I want to run from my feelings; eat, drink, be busy, cry, cry to somebody, anything rather than just be. So I do all those things, and there the feelings are anyway.

Just be with it, then through it. Seems so simple, yet so hard.

Thank you for this post, these words that helped so much today—“We can face it all and feel it and still be ok.”

Thank you Patricia! Yes, it seems so simple but you are right it’s so so difficult when that avalanche of feelings hits and you just want to run and hide and cry to someone and at the same time are afraid to reach out. I am glad my words helped a little. I am sending you a huge warm hug from across the pond. I hear you and I know how hard it is. I am sorry. You will be ok.

This is a great post THS. So sorry that you had to go through so much in order to write such a brilliant and inspiring post. Thank you for being so self-less and sharing your pain in order to heal and move forward.

I love that Rumi quote, THS. What we deny or run from the body continues to carry in the form of tightness, resistance, pain or dis-ease. Its painful to re feel it but it is the ONLY way to heal. Our society seems so invested in denying pain, but we can learn another way. It takes guts and courage. So pleased to hear you have found such a great counsellor, their value is greater than gold. ❤